In general, treadmills in which a running belt is rotated by a power source, an exerciser runs or walks on the rotating running belt, and thus the exerciser can perform exercise are being developed in various types.
An example of such a treadmill is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0261701 described below that is a patent document.
A treadmill 1 of the related art s constituted by a driving roller 7 and a driven roller 9, each having both ends supported by a frame 10, disposed in parallel a constant distance from each other, and an endless running belt 8 wound on the rollers 7 and 9, so that the running belt 8 is circulated when power generated from a driving motor 5 is transmitted to the driving roller 7 via a power transmission means such as a chain 6 or a belt.
In addition, belt support plate 10a is installed under a relaxation side of the running belt 8 to prevent the running belt 8 from hanging downward by the weight of an exerciser on the running belt 8.
However, in the treadmill of the related art, since the support deck 10a configured to support the running belt 8 is fixedly installed at the frame 10, a frictional force is always mutually generated between the running belt 8 and the belt support plate 10a while the running belt 8 rotates.
That is, in the treadmill of the related art, the running belt rotating while the exerciser walks or runs comes in contact with the fixed support deck 10a, a frictional load occurs whenever such contacts occur, and thus, consumption of electrical energy of the driving motor 5 due to an increase in frictional load is increased to cause waste of energy.
In addition, an excessive load is applied to a bearing configured to support a rotary shaft of the driving motor 5 and the running belt 8 to reduce the lifespan thereof.